Secret military police that would come and take away people who opposed the Nazis are an example of the Gestapo.
- the secret police force of the German Nazi state, notorious for its terrorism, brutality, etc.
- any secret police
- Slang any police force or other authority regarded variously as sinister, ruthless, brutal, etc.
Origin of Gestapo; from German Ge(heime) Sta(ats)po(lizei), secret state police
- The German internal security police as organized under the Nazi regime, known for its terrorist methods directed against those suspected of treason or questionable loyalty.
- gestapo pl. ge·sta·pos A police organization that employs terroristic methods to control a populace.
- Of, relating to, or characteristic of the German security police organized under the Nazi regime.
- gestapo Of, relating to, or characteristic of terroristic police methods or operations: gestapo tactics.
Origin of GestapoGerman Ge(heime) Sta(ats)po(lizei), secret state police : geheim, secret + Staat, state + Polizei, police.
- The secret police of the Nazi party in the Second World War